Free Web NovelChapter 376: Chapter 373: Under These Bright Lights, I Can See Him Again
The waitress’s legs went weak with fear. She turned, trembling, to meet her gaze.
Chloe Marshall’s heart was pounding, but she knew she couldn’t be the first to crack. If she did, the waitress would expose everything, and all their efforts would be for nothing.
’We’ve come this far. I can’t give up now!’
She shot the waitress a meaningful look, and the woman managed to calm herself slightly.
"Lord Valerius, are there any other instructions?"
"Why isn’t this one speaking?"
"She’s mute. She never speaks when she’s on duty." The waitress knew that with those words, there was no turning back. Even if she exposed Chloe Marshall now, the crime of deceiving the Supreme Leader was enough to have her shot.
"I will go to the ancestral hall myself in a moment. Just wait for me there."
"Understood."
As they continued on, a cold sweat broke out across Chloe Marshall’s body. She was terrified.
She had lived with him for several years; they knew each other well. If it hadn’t been for the heavy rain and darkness, he would have undoubtedly recognized her.
’It seems even the heavens are on our side.’
Only then did she speak softly, "Dorothy, don’t say a word. Just hold on a little longer. You don’t have to hold your breath anymore."
"Ma’am..." The waitress looked back. "Just now... I almost..."
"Remember! You’re tied to us now, like grasshoppers on a string. If we die, you won’t survive. Get us out of here, and I’ll give you a large sum of money so you and your brother can go far away and start over. I keep my promises," she said, her expression grim.
The waitress nodded vigorously.
Before they reached the ancestral hall, she had Dorothy get out of the vehicle and hide, huddled behind some evergreen shrubs. More than ten minutes later, the two of them returned for her, and together they made their way to the pitch-black riverbank.
"Ma’am, the outer perimeter is heavily guarded; we can’t just walk out. I heard this river leads to the outside, but no one has ever tried it. It’s just a rumor. Besides, the Supreme Leader personally gave an order: anyone caught trying to escape is to be shot on the spot. There are guards at the exit. An unarmed person could never get through," she said, her face filled with worry.
"Can you swim?" Chloe Marshall asked her.
"Yes."
"How many guards are on duty, then?"
"Six soldiers."
"When we get close, you’ll take Dorothy and wait for me at the river’s edge. Once I’ve dealt with those men, we can leave. If you even think about trying anything else..."
"I won’t! I won’t!" she hastily explained. "I’ll hold on to the child and wait for you right there."
Chloe Marshall gave a cold smile. "I still don’t fully trust you. But remember this: I keep my word. We get out, and I’ll give you the money to disappear. But if you dare try anything funny, I’ll separate your head from your shoulders in a heartbeat. I don’t kill innocent people, you know that."
She nodded in terror.
Chloe Marshall then said, "Into the river. We’ll support Dorothy between us."
The river water was bone-chillingly cold.
They shivered uncontrollably.
Submerged in the frigid water, it felt as if their bodies were being packed in ice.
The three of them swam desperately for what felt like an eternity, finally reaching the guard post after several tens of minutes.
The night rain was a misty curtain, and the guards couldn’t see the surface of the river clearly.
She climbed out quietly. The pistol was already suppressed, but she didn’t have many bullets left.
After waiting silently for a few minutes, she saw two of the soldiers leave their post.
She took stock. Four bullets left. Every single one had to hit its mark.
At that moment, she was grateful for the few months she’d spent in that brutal training camp.
Marksmanship wasn’t a problem for her.
She squeezed the trigger, knowing they had to be gone before the other two soldiers returned.
Her finger curled around the trigger four times.
Four bodies dropped to the ground.
She immediately slid back into the river. "Go! We have to move, now! Otherwise, we’re dead!"
The waitress nodded. Even though she was freezing and utterly exhausted, some deep-seated will to survive kept them going.
Just as they finally swam out of the tributary, before they could even climb onto the bank, the part of the river they’d just left was suddenly flooded with light.
They scrambled up onto the bank.
They were finally out of the Imperial Palace.
The moment she was free, tears streamed down Chloe Marshall’s face, and she began to sob uncontrollably.
She had finally escaped the place that had imprisoned her for so long.
The three of them had only taken a few steps when Dorothy unexpectedly cried out, "Dylan!"
Dylan Grant ran over, with Nora Ainsworth close behind him.
She looked closely at Chloe Marshall, her eyes welling with tears. "Chloe."
"Nora!"
They embraced tightly, both of them crying.
After all this time, they were finally seeing each other again.
"Auntie, Mom, get in the car, quick! I think the Imperial Palace realized what happened. They’re sending people after you!"
They all scrambled into the car.
The car screeched into a U-turn and sped away.
"Quick, tell me everything. How have you been all this time?"
Chloe Marshall nodded and began to tell her story. "..."
They drove to the waitress’s home, picked up her younger brother, and then all went to Nora Ainsworth’s house together.
They took hot baths and changed into clean clothes.
Everyone sat in the living room, waiting for Ethan Ellsworth and Quentin Grant to arrive.
"When Dorothy called Dylan, all she said was, ’Mommy and I are going to be killed,’ and then the line went dead," Nora Ainsworth explained. "Dylan told me immediately. I was so scared I didn’t know what to do, but there was no way for us to get inside. All we could do was wait at the main gate and pray for a miracle. I called Ethan and Quentin, but it’s a five or six-hour flight for them to get here, so they couldn’t have made it in time. They should be arriving any minute now, I imagine."
Chloe Marshall still shuddered at the memory.
She then turned to Dorothy. "Sweetheart, this is the auntie I told you about."
"I know Auntie."
Nora Ainsworth pulled the little girl onto her lap. "Your daddy will be here soon. Do you want to see him?"
"Uh-huh, I do," she nodded.
Then she looked down and mumbled, "Will Daddy like me?"
Nora Ainsworth kissed her on the cheek. "What a silly question. He’ll love you more than anything. How could he possibly not like you?"
"Really, Auntie?" ’This kid sure learns fast,’ Nora thought.
"Of course. Auntie would never lie to you."
"Then I’m relieved."
She hopped off Nora Ainsworth’s lap and sat down next to Dylan Grant. "Dylan, thank you for answering the phone so fast. Otherwise, Mommy and I wouldn’t have known where to go."
Before Dylan Grant could say anything, Elmer Grant chimed in, "Hey, sister-in-law, no need to thank him! We’re all family here."
Chloe Marshall burst out laughing. "Nora, your son acts like such a little grown-up."
"Yep. His IQ outpaced the rest of him. His brain is filled with goodness-knows-what all day."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
All eyes in the room turned to the entrance. Chloe Marshall and Nora Ainsworth walked to the door together. Nora looked through the peephole and then quickly pulled the door open.
Chloe Marshall had never imagined that one day, under the bright lights, she would be free to see him again.
